Updated 18 October 2026. First published 6 October 2025.
The Government has published a roadmap for reforming the home-buying and selling process after its 2025 consultation. It sets out a phased programme, but many of the headline changes are still planned reforms rather than requirements that already apply to every sale.
The immediate direction is to make reliable property information available earlier. The roadmap says the Government will publish guidance in 2026 to improve information in listings and work with the industry on information that can be supplied voluntarily before a sale progresses. A future standardised sales pack is expected to bring together key details such as tenure, council tax band, energy rating, title information, lease terms, building-safety information, searches and a condition assessment. The final requirements will need to be set out through legislation.
Digital property logbooks and packs are also part of the plan. The Government says it will promote their use and consider making them a requirement in some home-ownership schemes from 2027. Legislation to make sales packs and digital information a standard part of property transactions is planned for later, when parliamentary time allows. The timetable depends on legislation and implementation work, so buyers should not assume a complete digital pack is already mandatory for every listing.
The roadmap also proposes binding conditional contracts earlier in a transaction. The Government says it will only introduce this after sales packs have been embedded, so buyers have important property information before being asked to commit. Until the law changes, the usual legal commitment to buy and sell still happens at exchange of contracts. Anyone with a live transaction should follow their conveyancer’s advice and the terms of their own agreement.
Other steps include a non-statutory code of practice for property agents, planned for later in 2026, and consultation on mandatory qualifications for estate and letting agents in 2027. The roadmap also describes future work on digital identity, data standards and sharing information securely between professionals.
The Government has said the reforms could shorten the average transaction by around four weeks and reduce failed sales. Those are projected benefits, not a guarantee for an individual move. The changes will be introduced in stages, and their effect will depend on legislation, industry readiness and how the new processes work in practice.
For now, buyers and sellers should continue to check the property information available, raise questions early and obtain independent legal and survey advice. The roadmap is useful context for what may change, but it does not replace the rules and contract terms that apply to a particular sale.
Sources: Government home buying and selling reform roadmap (updated 19 June 2026): https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/home-buying-and-selling-reform/outcome/home-buying-and-selling-reform-roadmap
Current GOV.UK guidance on conveyancing and exchange of contracts: https://www.gov.uk/buying-a-home/transferring-ownership